Reenforced wood box or crate



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A AMZE/P flfiwmv ATTORNEY.

May 12, 1931. w. 0- BROWN REENFORCED WOOD BOX OR CRATE Filed Jan. 18. 1930 May 12, 1931. w. 0. BROWN REENFORCED WOOD BOX OR CRATE -Fi1ed Jan. 18, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vv vww k kw lll

INVENTOR. 1.75 dfieomv M 2% ATTORNEY.

EV M a Patented May 12, 1931 WALTER 0. BROWN, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN REENFORCED VIOOD BOX OR CRATE Applicationv filed. January 18; 1930. Serial No. 421,633."

This invention relates to boxes or crates,

and the object of the invention is to provide a box or crate which is very strong and constructed to resist pressures from all directions such as would rack or break an ordinary box or crate.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a box or crate having a novel corner construction which is very rigid and resists 1 racking or twisting of the box or crate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box or crate formed of slats connected together in end to end relation by angle brackets and stacked in vertical relation, corner members being provided and welded to the angle brackets to provide rigid corners for the box or crate and securing the slats together at the corners in superimposed relation. Another object of the invention is to provide a box oricrate formed of slats which are firmly secured together at the corners by corner members in a manner to prevent the tiers of slats from coming loose one from the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide a box or crate-formedof wooden slats having sheet metal reenforced' corner members and sheet metal tie members so con,

structed and arranged as to provide'spacers for the slats and welded to the sheet metal parts of the structure.

These objects and the severalnovel features of the invention are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and the preferred form of construction by which these objects are attained is shown in the accompanying drawings in whichi Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a box or crate, embodying my invention.

2--2 of Fig; 1. V

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

5 tially on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. i

1 Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectiontaken on line Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a box or crate including both the metal corner Fig. 6 is a section takenon line 76- 6 of Fig. 4'.

The box or crate is formed of-wood slats 1 made up usually in four panels arranged in rectangular form shownin Fig. 1. Previous boxes of this type have had the slatsforming each panel wired together as by means of wires 4 extending on opposite sides of each ofthe slats as will be understood from Fig. 2

and wire loops 5 extend around the two wires 4: on the opposite sides of the slat and in the slot between the slats thereby uniformly spacmg the same. In this construction the slats forming the panel are all of uniform width so that in forming the box the slots between the slats are in registration and one panel extends beyond the end of the next panel at the corner as will be understood by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The slats are all of uniform length for a rectangular box and preferablyan L shaped bracket 2 is secured to the meeting panels at each corner as by'means of the screws 3. Similar L shaped brackets are positioned in each of the slots between the slats of each panel at the meeting corners and the panels are reenforced at the corner by the use of an outer sheet metal angle 6 and an inner sheet metal angle 7 preferably of the same length as the width of the panels. These are angle members 6 and 7 spot welded to each of the bracketsQ lying in the slots between the slats at each of the corners and not material to this invention-as some crates are made without bottoms and some with and when provided with a bottom it may be secured to the assemble-d panels and reenforced members in any approved manner (not here shown).

It is also sometimes desirable that the L shaped brackets lying in the corners be secured to each of the slats so that the entiregroup of slats of one panel are fixedly securedto the registering slats of the contiguous panel. When this is the desired form of construction, the bottom slats are first laid in the rectangular form and united by the corner brackets and each succeeding slat of each panel is likewise secured in place and the corner plates 6 and 7 positioned and Welded to the brackets 2 of the series as by spot welding indicated in Fig. 1. By this plan of erection the slats may be secured by means other than the wires shown in the drawings or it may be wired subsequent to the erection in the rectangular form as may be found most convenient.

The shop method pursued in the erection of the several parts is not material as the completed structure may be identical under either plan and resulting in a strongly reenforced substantial box or crate of slat form capable of withstanding rough usage without breakage or splintering of the corners etc., as is usual in previous non-reenforced forms of boxes or crates of this general character.

'The foregoing description has been confined to that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive in which the slats are of uniform width and between the reenforced sheet metal corner members the panels are secured together by vertical wires 4 and tie members 5positioned in the interstice between the slats. The invention is not confined to the 7 use of wires and the tie members 3 nor is it Fig. 1 or Fig. 1 each side wall is made upseparately and the four side walls then united by means of the corner members.

In the first form'these side walls are wired after the manner previously described but such wiring may be dispensed with and a U shaped sheet metal strip indicated at 20 in Fig. 5 may be utilized and that at each slot or space between the slats a metal insert of proper thickness may beplaced spacing the 7 slats one from the other and then welded to each opposite side of the U member 20 in engagement therewith. This enables slats 22 of various thicknesses to be utilized the only requisite being that'the total width of the panel or side wall member shallbe alike in all four panels used. In other words, with a standard width of panel the slats forming the same may vary in width. These side panels formed'of the slats and U strip are then inserted in the corner members eachformed of the inner sheet metal angle 23 and the outer sheet metal angle 24.. It will be noted that in this case a wide strip 25 of one panel'does not register Withthe strip 26 of less Width of the adjacent panel. Therefore, the spacer member cannot be of the L shaped form shown in Fig. 2 but consists of two members, one member 27 being used on one side and another member 28, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, being used with the other panel. Thus, although the slats between the bars in one panel do not register with the slatsbetween those of the other, nevertheless, by use of separate spacer blocks or plates for each of the panels the panels may both be connected with the corner members by welding the corner members to the spacers.

This may be readily done as the space between the slats indicates to the operator the position of the metal blockor inserted plate 27 or 28 enabling him to properly position the welding machine thereon. Although not here shown, it is obvious that the plates 27 or 28 may be secured to the respective slats as by screws as is the method pursued in the inserted member 2 shown in Fig. 2. Obviously, although only one U shaped member 20 is shown in Fig. 4, more than one may be used on each panel of the crate. It is also to be understood that these sheet metal members the objects described.

Having thus briefly descrlbed, my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure'by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. In a box or crate, a series of panels forming the side walls of the box, each consisting of a series of slats in spaced relation arranged in the same plane, a corner fastening means for the panels consisting of an inner and an outer sheet metal angle member and metal spacers between the angle members and positioned in the spaces'betweenthe slats of the respective panels, the angle members both being welded to the spacers.

2. A box or crate consisting of a series of panels arranged in rectangular form ,providing the side walls of the box, each panel consisting of a series of slats in's'paced relation arranged in the same plane, a corner fastening for the contiguous endsof the panels consisting of an inner and outer sheet metal angle member, metal spacers between the angle members and positioned in the spaces between the slats of the respective panels, an L'shaped spacer on the upper edge of the top slats at themeeting edges of each two panels, and means for securing the said L shaped spacer to the respective top slats of the respective panels, the said sheet metal angle members being welded to the several spacers therebetween.

3. A box or crate consisting of a series of panels arranged in the desired relation to form side walls of the box, each panel consisting of a series of slats in spaced relation in the same plane, a fastening for the contiguous ends of the panels at each corner of the box consisting of an inner and an outer angle member, and metal elements positioned in the spaces between the slats at the corner and welded to both the inner and outer angle members.

4. A box or crate consisting of a-series of panels arranged in rectangular relation to formthe sidewalls of the box, each panel consisting of a series of slats secured in spaced relation in the same plane, an L shaped plate in the spaces between the contiguous ends of the panels at each corner, an inner and outer sheet metal angle member for each corner welded to the L shaped plates, and means for securing the upper and the lower L shaped plate to the upper and lower pairs of slats of each two adjacent panels.

5. A'box or crate consisting of a series of panels arranged in the desired relation to form side walls of the box, each panel consisting of a series of wooden slats, means for fastening the same in the spaced relation in the same plane consisting of a sheet metal element intermediate the ends ofthe slats, a metal spacer between the slats for spacing the same and welded to the sheet metal elements, a corner fastening consisting of a sheet metal element at each corner on the inner and outer side thereof, and metal spacers between the ends of the slate at the corner welded to the corner members.

6. A metal reenforced wooden crate consisting of a series of slats providing the walls of the box, metal corner braces consisting of inner and outer sheet metal angle plates, metal spacers in the spaces between the slats adjacent the ends of each of the panels and welded to the metal angle plates, sheet metal members on the panels between the said cor: ners consisting of inner and outer sheet metal parts, and spacers between the slats welded to the last said inner and outer metal elements.

7. A box or crate consisting of a series of panels, each formed of a plurality of wooden slats arranged in the same plane, a sheet metal member U shaped in form, the legs of which engage opposite sides of the panel, metal spacers between the slats and welded to the legs of the U, a metal corner member for the contiguous ends of the several panels consisting of inner and outer sheet metal members, and spacers between the slats of the said panels at the corner and welded to the said metal corner members.

tion.

WALTER 0. BROWN. 

